i‘s Ukraine appeal has surpassed £300,000 as generous readers continue to rally around the humanitarian response to Europe’s biggest refugee crisis since the Second World War.
As of Wednesday evening, readers had raised a staggering £298,500 for the appeal in partnership with the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC), made up of 15 leading humanitarian charities including ActionAid, Save the Children and the Red Cross.
Among the donations is a £690 contribution from St Cuby Duloe Parish Church in Looe, in Cornwall where a Sunday collection was matched by the church.
In total, the DEC has raised more than £120m to support member charities working in Ukraine and neighbouring countries to scale up their work.
A leading aid worker has expressed his “awe” at the incredible benevolence displayed by the British public but stressed that the situation was “not a short-term problem”.
Mike Noyes, head of humanitarian response for ActionAid, said: “I’m in awe. The amount of funds the British public have given for this crisis shows the generosity of the public and the shock at what is going on here.
“Once again we’re reminded of our common humanity with people not living down the same road as us.”
However, he added that the DEC’s work, which includes providing urgent supplies and medical care to those who have fled the war or are trapped by ongoing violence, would need to continue for months to come.
“We know that this is not a short-term problem – it’s a long-term problem. The funds that people are giving now will be needed not just for this immediate response but to help people reestablish their lives wherever that is in the months ahead,” he said.
Where will my money go?
£10 will buy essential hygiene supplies for one person for a month
£20 will provide emergency food for one person for one month
£30 will cover essential hygiene supplies for three people for one month
£50 will buy blankets to keep four families warm
£100 will provide emergency food for two families for one month
The UK Government will match pound-for-pound up to £20m donated by the public to this appeal
How can I donate?
To contribute to the appeal online, click here.
You can also text INEWS to 70150 to donate £10.
Texts cost £10 – and the whole £10 goes to the DEC Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal – plus your standard network charge. You must have the bill payer’s permission.
Mr Noyes is among those currently distributing aid to and supporting refugees from Ukraine in Poland. Speaking from Warsaw on Tuesday, he said: “What we’re seeing here is growing numbers coming out of Ukraine, with often very little. Some people have left their homes with half an hour notice.
“As someone that’s seen refugees at different times and places all over the world, one thing that’s really striking is that I’m used to seeing lots of female-headed households but this is almost exclusively women with young children.”
Of the more than two million people that have fled the Russia-Ukraine war, around half are children. Ukrainian men aged 18 to 60 are currently banned from leaving the country and have been urged to join the army.
In the Polish capital, while volunteers from the area and international aid groups, including the DEC, are providing urgent support including food, water and access to healthcare, there are still grave concerns about refugees’ potential vulnerability.
“[People] are really worried. The future is uncertain. It’s tired and worried children being entertained by tired and worried mothers,” said Mr Noyes, who noted that Warsaw’s Central Railway Station had become a “makeshift dormitory” for those who had fled.
“Women and young girls are vulnerable in all humanitarian crises but especially in times of conflict and displacement because the risk of sexual violence always goes up,” he added.
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“It’s so very easy in these circumstances for young women to find that the person who’s offering them help is actually seeking to exploit them. That’s a huge concern for us and one of the reason’s the DEC is here in Poland – to respond to those risks.”
One way in which the Committee plans to diminish such risks is by giving prepaid bank cards based on Polish social security rates to mothers with children or single young women in need.
“[That way] they’ve got a degree of autonomy and choice and therefore are not only meeting their needs but that also takes them a step away from the risk of someone seeking to exploit them. They’re protected by having those resources.”
